


The Language of Flowers

by leatherlord



Category: Game Grumps
Genre: Antiqueshopworker!Arin, Dan is gonna owe Brian some mad money, Egobang - Freeform, Eventual Smut?, Fluff, LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES ABOUT FLOWER LANGUAGE, Love Triangles, Lovesick!Dan, M/M, Rating May Change, florist!Brian
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-06
Updated: 2019-05-24
Packaged: 2019-06-22 16:11:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15585699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leatherlord/pseuds/leatherlord
Summary: Dan meets a cute boy named Arin and enlists Brian's knowledge of the language of flowers (and his flower shop) to help him woo his new beau.(I'm going to TRY to write some smut for this fic, because you all deserve some sweet egobang lovin'. It won't be for awhile though.)





	1. Lavender is for Distrust

**Author's Note:**

> So this was inspired by the list of word prompts I have been using to write drabbles so I can practice writing again. The word was soil. But instead of just doing a small drabble and getting on to the next one, it’s turned into a thing.
> 
> Anyway, here it is! I hope you like it! Please enjoy!

“ _Brian_.”

The man behind the counter stopped his stem cutting mid-snip, glancing up at Dan as the door bells jingled. “ _Daniel_.”

“ _Brian_ ,” the other man repeated, shutting the door behind him. “Brian, I think I’m in love.” He slumped against the door, a dazed look on his face.

Brian sighed and set his work down. This customer’s flower arrangement would have to wait, as Dan tended to take up all of the florist’s attention, no matter how hard he tried to work otherwise. “Okay, Dan, come on in.” He scuffed his way across the wooden floor, wiping his hands off on his moss green apron as he went. “Come on, big guy.” Taking Dan by the upper arm, Brian led him over to a chair that was next to the store’s workspace and pushed him into it, then went back to the door and flipped his sign over to “Closed.” There was definitely no way he was getting anything done with Dan around, and he didn’t need anyone else bothering him while his friend gushed about his new puppy crush.

Coming back to himself, Dan smiled at Brian. “Listen, I know I bother you with this shit more than I should, but I think it’s  _real_  this time!” Dan’s leg started bouncing, his nervous, excited energy starting to manifest itself. “Like, seriously.” He looked up at the older man earnestly.

Stern facade cracking, Brian sighed. “Okay, tell me about her.”

Dan’s face fell slightly and his leg came to a stop. “Oh.” He bit his lip in thought, trying to come up with the best way to tell his friend that he was  _not_ , in fact, in love with a  _girl_  this time around.

Instead of coming up with a brilliant and witty comment, he blurted, “Actually, she is a he. With a dick. And balls.”

Brian’s eyebrows shot up. “Well. That’s new.” A smile slowly spread across his face, and he leaned down to elbow Dan in the chest. “So? Tell me everything!”

Dan’s eyes lit up, a happy blush spreading across his cheeks. “Well, he works in the little antique place a few doors down the plaza.” Brian nodded, familiar with the place, though never having been in it himself. “I saw him struggling with a heaping pile of who-knows-what and before some of it could fall and break, I grabbed a few pieces brought them inside for him!” He twisted a curl of hair around his index finger, eyes glazing as he brought the memory back to the forefront of his mind. “I think he thought I was a little crazy, but seemed to accept the help even though I basically just took things from him and ran inside before he could say no.”

“As you tend to do to everyone,” Brian teased.

Dan stuck his tongue at Brian, but continued. “He’s got longish brown hair, with this cool as fuck blonde streak in the front. I get nerdy vibes from him. Maybe he works in that shop to grab any cool comics or old school action figures that come through or something?”

Brian hummed in agreement. “That’s exactly what I would do, if I was young and didn’t have a stable job or my own business.”

Rolling his eyes, Dan stood up and threw his arms up, feigning exasperation. “Oh look everyone, we’ve got Mr. I-Own-My-Own-Business over here!”

“Hey, I don’t appreciate that.”

Dan scoffed. “Whatever, man.” He meandered his way over to some of Brian’s plants and stuck his face into a little bush of lavender and inhaled deeply. “Holy shit, this smells so fucking good, dude.” Bringing his face out of the plant, Dan picked it up and brought it over to Brian. “Maybe I should send this to Arin? That's his name, by the way. I got a quick glance at his name tag before I stole everything from him.”

“That’s not the  _best_  idea, Dan.”

“Why the fuck not?”

Brian sighed and placed his snippers down onto his workspace. “Clearly I’m not getting out of this conversation. I really shouldn’t have said anything.” He bent down and began rustling through his stuff, and came back up with a vase. “In the language of flowers, lavender means distrust. You’d be sending the wrong message to him, no matter how good said message smells.”

“Oh, fuck.”

Brian nodded and started filling his vase with water. “Yeah. Can you put that back where it came from, please?” Dan nodded and placed it back.

What Brian had said got Dan thinking. What  _would_  be the correct arrangement of flowers to send to Arin?

Dan knew his next request would likely get squashed down by Brian, but he had to try. He turned up his puppy dog eyes to 11, and pouted his lips. “Hey Bri-Bri?”

Brian glanced up, took one look at Dan’s face and immediately said, “Ohh no, Dan. No. _No_.”

“But–”

“ _No_.”

Dan sighed and came up with another idea. “But  _Brian_ ,” he whined, “this is the first  _boy_ I’ve ever liked.”

Dan struggled to keep a triumphant grin off of his face as he heard Brian utter a soft “Fuck.”

“So? Bri-Bri?”

“Fuck you Dan I can’t believe I’m doing something like this  _again_. Only for you, you fucker.”

Dan squealed and stomped his feet repeatedly in delight. “Yes! You’re the best, Brian!”

Brian sighed and began rummaging for his notebook and a pen under the counter. "So? What’ll be?”

Dan shrugged, but then realized Brian couldn’t see him. “I dunno,  _you’re_ the one who knows all of that flower language stuff…”

Brian’s head popped up from the other side of the counter. “You’re right. I am pretty great, aren’t I?” He cried triumphantly as he found what he needed.

“That’s not what I meant, and you know it.” Dan thought. And drummed his fingers on the counter. And drumming his fingers on the counter while thinking usually helped him come up with some great ideas, but flowers and wooing were  _not_  in his area of expertise.

Giving up, Dan crossed his arms on the table and buried his head. “What do _you_  think I should say?” he mumbled.

Brian had been poised to start writing, but having an idea-less Dan had him setting his pen down again. “Well, I think a bouquet that says something about puppy love would be best. It’s like ‘Hey I noticed you, I appreciate you, will you like me back?’ type of thing. It could work.” He picked his pen back up and jotted down some notes. “That is, of course, if he even understands what the language of flowers  _is_.”

Dan shrugged, not worried. “I’ll write a note or something explaining it. It’ll be all romantic, giving him a handwritten note, too.” A happy smile spread across Dan’s face as he thought about the mysterious antique shop boy.

Brian nodded, looking impressed. “Yeah, that would work.” He wrote down his last few notes and then stared at Dan. “You know I’m not going to be just handing these flowers out, right?”

Dan’s face fell. “Oh. Yeah. I guess I knew that, but I was kinda hoping that if I ignored it, you might forget.”

Chuckling, Brian ripped the page out of his notebook and cleared his current order off of the workstation. Truth be told, he wasn’t digging that customer and their order, and helping Dan woo another boy would be  _so much_  more fun. He began grabbing some of the more common flowers needed for the bouquet. “Listen. I  _never_  forget about my money, Danny.  _Never_.”


	2. Hosta is for Devotion

"Does this look okay to send out?"

Brian had been working ceaselessly to finish the flower arrangement for Dan's new beau. Dan's conversation with Brian had consisted of being answered with vague grunts while he cut up the flowers needed, and Dan had finally resigned himself to messing on his phone, and then finally drifting off into an uncomfortable sleep, his head resting among the pre-potted plants for sale.

With no answer from the tall, bushy string bean, Brian peeked around his creation to see a mound of curly hair resting on a table and snoring. 

Brian chuckled quietly and walked over to shake Dan's shoulder. Dan let out a yelp and shot straight up in his chair, startling Brian who almost knocked over a large snake plant behind him.

"Oh shit… Hey Brian," Dan mumbied sleepily, rubbing at his eyes. "What's up? Was I snoring too loud near your plants?"

"No, Daniel, I finished the arrangement," he replied, trying to fight the urge to roll his eyes and failing spectacularly.

Dan blinked slowly. "Oh…. Oh!" His face lit up as he took in the artful arrangement. "That looks so cool!"

"Mmm, thank you."

Scraping his chair back, Dan stood and made his way over to the flowers. His eyes were wide as he touched an orange rose carefully. "Ohhh it's soft!" He then reached out and touched a leaf that transitioned from green to a light spring green on the outside. "Ew! Not Soft!"

Brian laughed, shaking his head. "That's a Hosta leaf, more commonly known as Plantain Lilies. Hosta is for devotion."

"Oh. Cool! What does everything else mean?" Dan asked, sticking his face into a particularly bushy patch of purple flowers. "Ohhh shit. Lilacs!"

Brian's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "I'm shocked you knew that, to be honest."

"It's not like we didn't have them in Jersey, Brian," Danny replied with his face still tucked into the bunch. "In fact, I'm pretty sure the northeast will have more lilacs than cali ever will."

Brian nodded. "Yeah, your plant hardiness zone is way better for them up that way."

An immature giggle slipped from Dan's mouth. "Oh, my plant hardiness zone, huh?"

Sighing, Brian walked over to his notebook and ripped out a page and handed it over to Dan, who finally had emerged from the flowers. "Here is a list of the plants and flowers used, plus what they mean."

Danny snatched the paper from him and glanced at it. Little notes and various cross-outs littered the page, but the second half of the sheet that held the list was legible and organized.

_Puppy Love Arrangement:_

  * _White Azalea for first love_
  * _Forget-Me-Nots for true love_
  * _English Daisy for innocence and simplicity_
  * _Bugle for most loveable_
  * _Hosta for devotion_
  * _Lilac for first emotions of love_
  * _Thornless roses for early attachment; Purple roses are a message of love at first sight; Orange roses are for enthusiasm and desire. They express admiration and attraction with an underlying message of passion and excitement._



Dan was pink once he finished reading, his heart hurting and pounding. "This… This is perfect." Feeling a little dramatic, he pressed the list to his chest with both hands, his eyes filling with tears. "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome, Dan. I'm glad I can help in some way, especially since you're starting to tear up over a person you just met a few hours ago." Brian smiled warmly at Dan. "Okay, so I'm going to send this out, if you're okay with it? Do you want to add a little note to it or something?" Seeing Dan nod, Brian grabbed a small card with his logo on it and a pen and handed it to Dan.

Leaning against the arranging counter, Dan tapped the pen against his lips and then, after a moment, scribbled a sentence or two down, and signed it "Your Secret Admirer." "Here. I think this is okay, right?" Brian took the offered card and read it over quickly.

"That's good. Nice and simple, and hopefully he'll not be too weirded out," teased Brian. "Okay, since he's right down the plaza, I'll just deliver it myself. I won't mention anything, unless you want me to?"

"Nah, that's okay. I think just delivering it will be fine for now." Smiling happily, Dan leaned over and gave Brian a quick hug. "Thank you so much, Brian. I'll get you the money from an ATM and bring it over ASAP. You're the best!"

The older man nodded. "You're right, I _am_ the best." Grabbing the arrangement and his keys, Brian poked Dan in the stomach. "Come on, time to go. I'm gonna lock up for the day, and you can't stay."

Sighing dramatically and holding his stomach where Brian had poked him, Dan listed toward the door. "You wound me, Brian! I'm never going to make it!" He straightened and shot another warm smile to his friend. "Again, thank you so much. Let me know if he says anything, okay?"

Brian nodded and pushed Dan out the door. "I will, buddy. Don't you worry. I want this to last for you. You deserve it." He locked the door and grinned at Dan. "Off we go. See you later, Danny."

"See ya, Brian! Talk to you later." Dan walked off towards his car and got in, and waved as he left.

Brian took a deep breath and started walking towards the antique shop. He really _did_ want this to work out for Dan; it had been so long since he'd liked anyone seriously, and from what he had said, Arin sounded like a good guy.  
_Only one way to find out, right?_ Plastering a smile on his face, he pushed open the door to the antique shop and prepared to give this mysterious Arin the surprise of his life.

* * *

[Flowers used in Brian's arrangement! :)](https://docs.google.com/document/d/16aUyND1aRlbXDkX22h_JEr_-lpEST8sQmHBp4_4Gzhk/edit?usp=sharing)


	3. Variegated Tulips for Beautiful Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arin receives a mysterious flower arrangement from a handsome man...

Arin was leafing through a recently donated older book about flower meanings when the front door to the antique shop jingled. Glancing up gave him a view of a huge bouquet? Vase full? of flowers. His eyebrows shot up in surprise, but he quickly composed himself as the delivery man came closer.

"May I help you, sir?" he asked, plastering a smile on his face. He couldn't  _ wait _ to tease his boss Dorothea about the flowers her new "boyfriend" had sent to her.  _ Must've been a lively date last night, _ Arin mused.

Wiping her hands on an old fashioned floral apron, Dorothea shuffled to the front of the store and gasped in that way that old ladies do once she laid eyes on the arrangement. "Well, who might these be for?" Her tone suggested she knew  _ just who they were for, thank you very much. _

The man popped his head out from behind the imposing flowers. "Good afternoon, ma'am, and Ar-- I mean, sir," he corrected quickly.

Arin had a sneaking suspicion that the man was about to say his name, but as far as he knew he had never met this delivery man in his life.

...Until he felt the man's gaze on him as he eyed Arin closely.  _ The florist shop owner!! _ He'd only seen the salt-and-pepper haired man in passing, and had no idea what his deal was except that he owned the shop with all the flowers and plants inside.

"May I place these on the counter, please? They're quite heavy." Arin nodded and the man placed them down. "My named is Brian. I own the florist shop down the plaza there. Now who were these for again?" Brian plucked the little name placard from the plastic holder that was tucked into the middle of the flowers and squinted at the name. "Ah, yes. Arin?"

Arin grunted in surprise.

Brian eyed the younger man over the top of the card. "So that's you, I take it?" Brian asked. Once Arin nodded, Brian handed him a card and a receipt. "Could you just sign that delivery confirmation for me? Don't want to get in trouble with the boss," he joked, smiling widely.

When Arin and Dorothea just blinked at him, Brian's smile faded. "Oh… um… I own the place. Don't want to get in trouble with myself… It's a stupid joke." He ruffled his hair nervously. "So, uh, can you sign?"

"Oh! Of course." Arin grabbed a spare pen and signed, thinking that while this man was kinda awkward as hell, he was endearing and funny. Plus it was super cool that he owned his own business.  _ And _ it didn't hurt that he was pretty attractive, too. Lovely eyes, nice hair, and toned arms from lifting plants all day. Arms that could probably toss Arin straight across the room and onto a bed…...

Arin shook himself from his potentially lewd daydreaming and handed the receipt back to Brian. "So, uh, why am I receiving these? They're not from you, are they?" He winked and buried his face into the flowers.

Brian fidgeted and laughed nervously as he tucked the receipt into his shirt pocket. "Ah… no. They're not. And I can't divulge that information unless your sender put their information in the card. It's tucked in there somewhere." Patting the pocket flat, he shuffled his feet. "So, uh, I gotta go." His thumbs jerked in the direction of the door behind him. "I hope you enjoy your flowers! Have a great rest of your day!" He spun and briskly exited the shop.

Arin blinked. Just like that, his muscular daddy was gone.

Muscular Daddy? Arin choked back a laugh. It was  _ not _ the time to be thinking about muscular men, especially not muscular men that he might be seeing on a regular basis if he had anything to say about it.

"Well. He's interesting." Dorothea's eyebrow was quirked up. "While I'm disappointed the flowers weren't for me, it's about time young men received arrangements!" She plucked a daisy from the bunch. "This is mine. Thanks baby cakes." A kiss was blown in Arin's direction and then she shuffled back to the back of the shop to do whatever it is that old ladies that own antique shops do.

Arin sighed and parted his way through the flowers to grab the card. It was time to see who the fuck sent him these flowers.

Hopefully, it was Brian.

Arin smirked. _My muscular daddy._


	4. Oak-Leaved Geraniums are for True Friendship

_ What am I going to tell Dan? _

Brian sat in his car, giving himself a moment before calling Dan. He wasn't sure that he wanted to tell his potentially sensitive friend that he was pretty sure Arin was hitting on him just a bit. Enough that Brian noticed, which was a feat all its own.

Sighing, Brian finally let his hovering thumb hit the "send" button on his phone screen and brought the device up to his ear.

He kept repeating  _ What am I going to tell Dan  _ until his friend finally answered his phone.

"Dan speaking, how may I fuck you today?" When all Dan heard in response was a deep sigh, he let out a laugh. "What's up Brian? Calling to hound me about my bill already?"

Brian relaxed a bit at the sound of his friend's voice. "Hey Dan. Today's your lucky day! I'm  _ not _ going to be hounding you about money yet!" 

"Phew!  _ That's _ a relief! So what's up, Bri?" Dan started humming as he waited for Brian's answer. When the older man didn't answer right away he abruptly stopped. "Brian? What's going on buddy?"

Brian let out a shaky sigh. "Well, I have good news and bad news. I'll give you both in the same sentence, okay?"

"Okay… sure…"

"So Arin  _ loved _ the flowers, he seemed super flattered, but also…." --Brian sucked in a breath-- "Also hewasdefinitelyhittingonme!"

Silence from the other end. Long enough that it made Brian nervous. "Dan…?" he ventured.

"Well then. I see." A long sigh. "WELL I guess I'll just have to see what he says about the note, right? All isn't lost, it's just a little bit inconvenient." A shuddering breath as Dan tried not to let himself get too sad.

Brian hummed in support. "You should meander your way over there as soon as possible, Danny. Make a new friend, eventually seduce him, you know… All those normal things friends do to other friends that they want to get to know."

Dan let out a chuckle. "Sure Brian, sure. But really, I  _ will _ make my way over there. Definitely, definitely soon. Thanks for letting me know, Brian."

Brian sighed. "You're not mad at me, right?"

"For what? Him hitting on you? Of course not!" Danny let out a long sigh. "It sucks, but it's  _ absolutely _ not your fault."

"Good."

"Listen, Brian, I gotta go. I've got shit to do. Thanks for calling me and letting me know what's up. I appreciate it more than you could ever know."

"No problem buddy. I'll talk to you soon." He heard Dan hum a goodbye and hung up.

_ Thank fuck that worked out. Now to fuck off on home. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is SO. FUCKING. SHORT. I know. I KNOW. But I wanted to post SOMETHING since it's been awhile, and because I wanted to motivate myself.
> 
> ANYWAY... Again, I'm so sorry, and I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> (Also I want to mention that this is ABSOLUTELY an Egobang fic to the end! <3)


	5. Pink Geraniums are for Doubt

Arin ghosted his fingers over the paper that had come with the beautiful arrangement. He'd read the letter about five times now and each time without fail, butterflies shot through his stomach. It had been awhile since anyone had shown interest in him and had been so vocal about it. A smile tug on his lips as he reread the letter once again:

 

To My Dear Arin,

I hope these flowers find you well. You must know that I find you cute and alluring and very handsome. In fact, I'm quite taken with you.

As for the actual flowers, I think that searching on the internet for "August 8, 1913" and "F.W.L." might lead you to something interesting. I certainly thought so.

Your Secret Admirer.

 

It was certainly not something he was used to reading. While the language was a little funny, written like how someone _thought_ a love letter should be written, it was sweet and flattering. Arin imagined Brian composing it in his head as he arranged the flowers oh so carefully, and melted all over again.

As for the mysterious date and initials, a quick search on his phone granted him results for a book called "The Language of Flowers." An old book about just that -- the language of flowers.

Another quick search in the shop's inventory showed that they had a copy on the shelves. It was a little book, organized from A to Z and mentioned all sorts of flowers and what they meant to someone.

He wasn't sure what some of the plants in the arrangement were, so he bugged Dorothea until she finally gave in and told him; white Azaleas, Forget-Me-Nots, English Daisies, Bugles, Hosta, Lilacs, and thornless purple and orange Roses.

Some of the plants weren't in the little book, so he had to look those meanings up online. As far as he could tell, not just the flower was important; the color was as well.

Once he was done with his research, he had a list. He was pretty sure everything was correct. At one point he thought that something meant hostility, but then he checked the color and was relieved to find that it wasn't that at all.

Overall, it looked like-- "A puppy love arrangement?"

Dorothea looked up at him over her glasses. "A what now?"

Arin grinned widely. "It's a puppy love arrangement! All of the plants and flowers are about new love, first emotions of love, stuff like that." He sighed happily. "This is perfect."

Grunting, Dorothea returned to her work. Arin suspected she was still salty over the arrangement not being for her. _Note to self, send Dorothea a small arrangement._

Arin stuffed his face into the flowers and inhaled deeply. The scents made his spirits rise even more, and he grabbed the letter to clutch it to his chest.

Was he being overdramatic? Absolutely. But it wasn't every day that a gorgeous hunk of a man sent you a fucking puppy love flower arrangement.

 _But what if it's not from him?_ Arin's mind nagged at him.

 _You, sir, can go fuck yourself_ , he replied right back. _I'm going to enjoy these beautiful fucking flowers and you can absolutely, 100% go. Fuck. Yourself._

Satisfied that he told off his cynical mind off pretty well, he sat back down at the front counter and picked up his work. He couldn't dawdle forever, after all.


	6. Red Columbines are for the Anxious and Trembling

Dan was still absolutely peeved about the flower situation. It wasn't that he was mad at Brian; quite the opposite, actually. He was just at a loss of what to do with everything being out of his control, and that feeling of uncontrol turned into peeve-ary. Because what else  _ could _ he do? Cry? 

Absolutely not going to happen.

Dan brushed the back of his hand against his eyes, staving off the feeling of tears. Anger flooded his body again, coming up from behind his heart and burst through his chest.

What was he  _ doing? _ He was just sitting feeling sorry for himself!

He stood abruptly from his couch. "Okay Dan. It's time to man up! Stop this!" he muttered to himself. "Let's just go…  _ talk _ to Arin. Talk to him, become friends with him, and then maybe, eventually, get this confusion cleared up so that he knows how you feel." His stomach flipped with nerves. "Okay, maybe not that part. You're a pussy with telling people how you feel. That's fine too. One step at a time." He sighed. "Make friends with Arin. Good. Okay. Good."

Dan's fists clenched tightly for a few seconds as he stood. His nerves would  _ not  _ get the best of him.

"Keys, I need my keys," he muttered, spotting them on his coffee table. Jerking into motion, he grabbed them and headed out the door.

_ Addendum to plan: Ask Arin out for drinks, bring Brian along for emotional support and back-up. _

Dan fought with his seat belt for a moment and then let it drop from his hands, watching as it zinged back to where it belonged. He needed to chill the  _ fuck _ out before he went crazy. And/or killed someone while driving. 

_ Deep breath in… hold… let breath out… _

"Okay, we're calm." This time the seat belt was successfully wrangled into position and buckled. "All right, Arin. Here I come!"

Smothering a naughty grin, Dan pulled out and onto the road. He was still nervous, but he was starting to feel good about this half-assed plan. 

_ Excellent. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, this is super short, I know. I have good news, though! I have a rough outline of what the rest of this story is going to be. I don't know how LONG it will be, but the outline is there, ready to be turned into more words. Yay!
> 
> (Honestly this IS super exciting to me, because I have RARELY ever made outlines. Which might be the whole reason I have also rarely finished writing anything! Woo!)
> 
> Also did I write/type this up while at work? Yes, yes I did.


End file.
